To Be Caught Off Guard
A short distance away, I felt mana vibrating.
This could only mean one thing.
Someone had entered the cave.
And in this current situation, there were only a few individuals strong enough to dare enter this cave.
“...As expected, they came.”
There was no way those two would miss the opportunity to effortlessly claim the corpse of the Legion Commander.
With that thought, I double-checked the traps I had set around the area.
Were they properly installed? Was there any chance they wouldn't activate?
After confirming the traps, I waited for the intruder to approach.
“Who could it be?”
The Dark magician or the Necromancer.
Which one of them arrived first?
The last time I saw them, they seemed obsessed with getting freebies like this.
I wondered who would be the first to arrive.
At that moment,
Whoosh!
The sound of a trap activating reached my ears.
And shortly after,
“Damn it, what is this?”
A familiar face emerged.
It was the Necromancer I had encountered before.
Her forum nickname was ‘CocoNenne.’
As CocoNenne noticed the traps, she sighed and looked up.
“Oh, it’s you. What are you doing here?”
CocoNenne recognized me.
It seemed she remembered our previous encounter.
Though slightly flustered, I quickly composed myself and responded.
“Just passing by, thought I’d check it out. By the way, it’s dangerous here, you shouldn’t be here.”
To my words, she simply replied,
“Nah, this stuff isn’t dangerous.”
With that, CocoNenne opened her subspace pouch and began pulling out corpses.
She took out a total of three corpses, with an Ogre leading the way.
It seemed he chose the Ogre because of its notoriously tough hide.
Thump! Thump!
The Ogre lumbered forward, triggering all the traps on the ground.
Whoosh!
Bang!
Slice!
All sorts of traps activated, burning, electrocuting, and even slashing at the Ogre, but to no avail.
The Ogre’s hide was simply too tough.
It continued to walk towards me, completely unharmed despite triggering all my traps.
‘...I have to strike now.’
In medieval times, surprise attacks weren’t considered cowardly.
I wasn’t a knight bound by chivalry; there was no need for me to fight honorably.
With that thought, I swiftly cast a spell.
[Holy Sword]
In an instant, a Holy Sword materialized behind CocoNenne.
It shot towards her, aiming to pierce through her back.
However, it was blocked.
A cluster of bones, generated out of thin air, stopped the sword.
These were no ordinary bones.
They were likely the bones of a powerful magical beast.
Only something that strong could withstand my magic.
As my attack failed,
“...What are you doing?”
CocoNenne questioned me, her voice laced with anger.
But I didn’t need to answer her.
In this situation, it was crucial to finish this quickly.
[Lightning Chain]
[Holy Sword]
[Inferno]
I unleashed three spells simultaneously, targeting CocoNenne.
He reacted by summoning countless corpses from his subspace pouch, forming a protective barrier around himself.
Bang!
My attacks were blocked by the wall of corpses.
However, it wasn’t without its cost.
‘Gotta drain her mana.’
I never expected an easy victory from the start.
My plan was to wear her down, to deplete her mana as much as possible. If I did that, victory would be mine.
That’s why it was crucial to prolong the fight.
CocoNenne couldn’t have brought all of her corpses.
She probably only brought his elite units.
That meant there was a limit to her offensive capabilities.
Bang!
I continued bombarding the wall of corpses protecting CocoNenne.
The wall, initially unyielding, began to crumble.
But I couldn’t let my guard down.
The wall was constantly regenerating.
She was probably using mana to regenerate it, but…
‘There’s too much mana in the surroundings.’
Now that I thought about it, this place was saturated with pure mana, likely due to the presence of the Legion Commander.
This meant one thing.
My attrition strategy wouldn’t work.
The tactic I had been using was useless, forcing me to rethink my approach.
How could I break through the wall of corpses protecting CocoNenne?
As I pondered, a good idea struck me.
‘…This is the only way.’
There was a perfect spell for dealing with this kind of resilient defense.
Before casting it, I shielded myself with protective spells.
[Barrier]
[Banshee's Veil]
[Holy Shield]
Surrounded by layers of protection, I pushed back the approaching Ogre and prepared my next spell.
With the preparations complete, I began chanting.
[Holy Tsar Bomba]
[Holy Tsar Bomba]
[Holy Tsar Bomba]
I summoned three divine bombs, ready to unleash their devastating power.
BOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!
Whoosh…
The bombs detonated, engulfing the surroundings in a blinding cloud of dust and debris.
But I didn’t panic.
I could sense their mana.
Focusing all my senses on the flow of mana around me, I waited.
And then,
Thump!
I dodged just in time, narrowly avoiding the Ogre’s fist as it came hurtling towards my head.
While evading the Ogre’s attacks, I continued bombarding the area with spells.
Finally, the dust began to settle.
And there stood CocoNenne.
“Ugh… Those were brand new. Let’s just call it a day, I don’t really want to fight.”
CocoNenne’s words were understandable.
She had likely exhausted the elite corpses he brought with her.
That’s why she was trying to negotiate, despite witnessing the devastating power of my [Holy Tsar Bomba].
My response was simple.
“No way.”
I could practically taste victory. She was clearly not at full strength.
My words were met with a sigh.
“Ha… I tried to be reasonable.”
CocoNenne whistled.
“...?”
A moment later,
Thump.
Thump.
A single corpse emerged from behind CocoNenne.
It was about the size of an adult male.
Its appearance wasn’t particularly threatening.
However…
‘…Its mana feels strange.’
The mana emanating from it was menacing.
It was similar to the mana I felt from the Legion Commander.
In that instant, I realized what the corpse was made of.
“...Ha…”
“I shared the spoils from our last encounter with another friend.”
CocoNenne’s words were like salt on a wound.
But I couldn’t afford to react emotionally.
Andromalius’s corpse was a lost cause.
Getting angry wouldn’t benefit me in any way.
So, I acted.
[Holy Sword]
I launched a surprise attack, aiming for the kill.
But…
“Heh, that won’t work.”
CocoNenne was laughing, watching me struggle.
Beside her, the Andromalius-like corpse, radiating an immense amount of mana, effortlessly caught my Holy Sword.
“Ha…”
CocoNenne wasn’t in perfect shape either.
The wall of corpses she had before was gone.
Most likely obliterated by my [Holy Tsar Bomba].
Knowing this, there was only one option left.
Target CocoNenne directly.
There was no other way.
[Holy Inferno]
I combined [Inferno] and [Holy], spells that were kryptonite to Necromancers and Dark magicians.
As I cast the spell,
FWOOSH!
Sacred flames erupted, engulfing the surroundings.
The flames followed the flow of mana, igniting everything in their path in a chain reaction.
Even for me, using this spell was taxing. I retreated to a safe distance, observing the situation.
“Damn it, that’s hot…!”
CocoNenne frantically tried to summon another wall of corpses.
However…
‘She’s running low on corpses.’
My [Holy Tsar Bomba] had taken its toll.
There was no way he could create a wall as solid as before with his remaining forces.
As I was thinking,
Crack!
The corpse in front of me suddenly dashed towards me with incredible speed, shattering all my protective barriers and landing a direct hit.
Thud!
It happened so fast, I didn’t even have time to react.
I was too focused on CocoNenne, trying to anticipate her next move, that I failed to notice the corpse’s movements…
‘…How did it break through my barriers in one hit?’
My barriers were gone, shattered by a single blow.
The corpse’s fist had landed squarely on my chest.
“Ugh…”
Thankfully, I had reinforced my body with mana. If not, that punch would have probably stopped my heart.
‘…I think some ribs are broken.’
This corpse wasn’t just made from Andromalius.
It likely contained parts from other Legion Commanders as well.
In this situation, there was only one thing I Could do.
Focus on CocoNenne.
There was no other way.
I needed to exploit the opening created by my [Holy Inferno]. While he was distracted and low on resources, I had to take him down.
Adrenaline surged through me, battling the pain that pulsed from my ribs. I pushed myself up, ignoring the dizziness blurring my vision.
CocoNenne, still reeling from the heat of the [Holy Inferno], was frantically trying to erect a new defensive line of corpses. But it was too late. I wouldn't give her the chance to recover.
[Haste]
I felt a surge of energy as the spell enveloped me. My movements became a blur, my speed amplified beyond its normal limits. I darted out of my hiding spot, a phantom of light weaving through the remaining flames.
CocoNenne, alerted by my movement, turned just in time to see me upon her. Her eyes widened in surprise, a flicker of fear briefly breaking through her composure.
[Lightning Spear]
A bolt of pure, concentrated lightning erupted from my hand, crackling with destructive energy. It shot towards CocoNenne with blinding speed, aimed at her heart.
She barely had time to react, throwing up a hastily constructed barrier of bones. But it wasn’t enough. The [Lightning Spear] pierced through it as if it were paper, the force of the impact throwing CocoNenne backwards.
She cried out in pain, the smell of burnt flesh filling the air. I didn’t hesitate. I pressed my advantage, my movements a blur as I closed the distance between us.
[Holy Sword]
The blade of pure light materialized in my hand, humming with power. I swung it down towards CocoNenne, aiming for the killing blow.
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bruh MC took it personally
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